


The Way to a Man's Heart

by jskay



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bad Cooking, Food, Jongdae is bad at cooking, Lots of Cursing, M/M, but Sehun eats them anyway
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:48:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26561671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jskay/pseuds/jskay
Summary: Everybody has heard of the saying, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Jongdae has never thought much about that saying until he met Sehun. Now, he is determined to woo Sehun by feeding him all his experiments in the kitchen. Hopefully, he gets past Sehun’s childlike taste palette.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Oh Sehun
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53
Collections: Shall we Chen? Fictional Fest First Round





	The Way to a Man's Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #SWC167: Everybody knows that Sehun has an appetite of an 8 year old — everybody also knows that he’s one of the pickiest eaters to ever exist. But that doesn’t stop Sehun from eating all of the home-cooked meals Jongdae prepares for him — even if they taste bad.
> 
> Thank you to the prompter for this fun prompt! I hope I was able to give it some justice. 
> 
> This is unbetaed so I apologize in advance for all the spelling and grammatical mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy!

Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Jongdae were in their third year in university with Baekhyun and Jongdae sharing a dorm room together since freshman year. Baekhyun started dating Chanyeol at the beginning of their second year. They met him at the school’s music club and for Chanyeol and Baek, they just had that spark right from the start. From then on, Jongdae became an unwilling third-wheel to the lovers. The two of them have never made Jongdae felt like a third-wheel, honestly. The two enjoy spending time with each other, but for them, it is more enjoyable to have more people around. 

At the beginning of their third year, Chanyeol was assigned a new roommate since his previous one graduated. In comes Sehun, a tall, quiet, and oh-so-very-handsome freshman. Even though they were 2 years apart, Sehun and Chanyeol instantly clicked. 

For both Baekhyun and Chanyeol, this just means that there will be more people in their group. Yey! “The more, the merrier” it is!

And this is how Jongdae and Sehun’s story starts.

\---------------------

_ For Sehun, it was love at first sight. For Jongdae, it was an embarrassment. _

“Come on, Dae! Let’s go out! Yeol is already on his way to the arcade!” Baekhyun has been whining at Jongdae for at least ten minutes now. His two friends want to go out on a date but, as always, they want to bring Jongdae along. They always reason out to him that going out as a group is more fun than just the two of them hanging out. Jongdae admits that it’s really fun when the three of them hang out. However, being with the lovers sometimes makes Jongdae sad. He also wants someone to date. Someone to cheer him on as he plays games in the arcade. Someone to steal fries from (not that he doesn’t steal Baek and Chanyeol’s fried, BUT STILL!). 

“Baek, don’t you two want some alone time? Why do I have to go there with you?” Jongdae is feeling sulky today because of his singleness. Baek and him watched a rom-com movie last night and he’s still craving for that romance that he had seen in the movie.

“But, Dae! Don’t think of it as a date. I promise you, you won’t be ‘third-wheeling’ today, as you like to call it. I don’t know why you always call it that. Have we ever made you feel left out during our outings? If so, we’re really sorry but it’s just --” 

“Baek, you’re rambling.”

“Oh yeah, sorry. I’m sorry if we ever made you feel left out but I promise that that won’t be the case today. Yeol has a new roommate. He’s a freshman, a really good kid but also really, really shy so he doesn’t have much friends. Yeol invited him to hang out with us today. So this is not really a date! This is just friends hanging out. You can also help us bring Sehun into the fold, make him come out of his shell a bit. What do you say?” Baekhyun asks Jongdae with a very, very wide smile and puppy eyes. Damn it, he can never say ‘no’ to his bestfriend’s  _ aegyo.  _ Damn you, Byun Baekhyun, for being so charming!

“Okay! Get your disgusting face away from me! I will go with you!” Jongdae said while pushing Baekyun’s face away from him. “Besides, someone needs to be there to keep that Sehun kid sane. It would be dangerous to leave him to both of you. You might pass on your weirdness to him.”

Baekhyun wasn’t listening to him anymore. After Jongdae said “okay”, he immediately called Chanyeol to inform him that they were on their way.

\-------------------

Baekhyun and Jongdae actually arrived at the arcade first since it was nearer their dorm building. The arcade is usually packed with college students since it is located just outside the dorm area of the campus. ‘Arcade City’ is the ultimate hang out place among students of their university. It has all the old-school arcade games and, also, the newest ones. Apart from games, it also has a dine-in restaurant with all the oiliest food available. In other words, the best kind of food for college students - burgers, pizza, fries, fried chicken. Name an oily food and they sure have it!

“Come on, Dae! It’s a Saturday afternoon. For sure, there will be a lot of people inside. Hurry up! We need to find a good table!” Baekhyun says as he drags Jongdae inside the neon-lit restaurant.

“Here, Baek! I found a booth!” Jongdae says as he scurries to the booth near Chanyeol’s favorite basketball game. 

As the two sat down, their favorite waiter approached them.Yes, they hang out there so often that the waiters know them already.

“The usual, guys?” their favorite waiter asks.

“Hey, Jongin! How are you doing on this lovely day?” Baekhyun asks him. Jongin is actually a dance student at their university. He is a second-year student but started working at the arcade immediately upon entry to the university. He claims that being a dance student gives him a lot of time as they don’t have much homework so he’d rather earn money using those free time. 

“It’s great today, hyung! Classes just started so the students are still happy. That means they are more generous with their tips! I would definitely be able to buy that Nintendo Switch next month without using my allowance,” Jongin answered excitedly.

“That’s great, Jongin-ah. But don’t tire yourself out too much. We don’t want our favorite dancer’s body to break down,” Jongdae says.

“Don’t worry too much about me, hyung! Where’s Chanyeol hyung, by the way?” 

“He’s on his way. He’s bringing his new roommate with him. Oh, I just remembered! Sehun is also from the same college as yours!” Baekhyun says excitedly.

“Sehun as in Oh Sehun? I know of him. We don’t have any classes together since he’s a year younger but I’ve been hearing a lot about him from the professors. I heard that he’s a really great dancer. He’s becoming a favorite among the faculty, from what I’ve heard.” 

“Oh, great! Maybe we can introduce him to you! He’s been having trouble making friends since he is a very, very shy boy.” Baekhyun sounds like a mom who is making sure that his son gets to have friends in school.

“Sure, hyung. I’ll make sure to go back to your table later. For now, shall I get you your usual? 1 choco milkshake, 1 vanilla milkshake, 1 strawberry milkshake, family-sized fries, 1 four-cheese large pizza, 3 BLT burgers. Correct?” Jongin confirms their order.

“Add 1 more vanilla milkshake and 1 more BLT burger for Sehun, please,” Baekhyun says smiling.

“Coming right up, hyung!” Jongin answered while wheeling away. Have they mentioned that some waiters here prefer to wear rollerblades? Is this place not the most awesome place on the planet or what?! 

Jongdae and Baekhyun were talking very animatedly. Jongdae’s back was to the door so he wasn’t able to see Chanyeol and Sehun walking their way to the table. Jongdae was telling a story very animatedly while holding a slice of cheese pizza in his hand. He didn’t notice Sehun so the pizza went right smack to Sehun’s face.

It seems like time slowed down for Jongdae. When he turned his head, he saw the pizza sliding off Sehun’s face slowly, the mozzarella seems to be serving its function that he saw the cheese stretch as some of the cheese stuck on Sehun’s face while the crust was sliding down. He saw Sehun’s eye slowly open out of shock. He stood up to prevent more damage but it seems that he wasn’t able to act fast enough.

“OH. MY. GOD. I AM SO SORRY!” Jongdae says as he took some tissues from the table to help Sehun wipe the cheese on his face. Jongdae was kind of panicking. This is so embarrassing!

It also seems like time slowed down for Sehun, but in a different way. Upon entry to the arcade, he heard a very loud, boisterous laugh, and it instantly was able to put a smile on his face. He was so surprised by the pizza slap and was ready to get mad at the person but when he opened his eyes, he saw the most attractive guy he had ever set his eyes on. A very animated, curvy eyebrows, kittenish mouth, high cheekbones, the most melodious voice he has ever heard. 

_ Is this what they mean by love at first sight?  _ Sehun thought.

“What the fuck, Jongdae!” Baekhyun screamed but he was laughing so hard. Chanyeol was laughing his ass off too. Bastards. His friends are bastards! They were supposed to help him!

“Oh my god, are you Sehun? I’m so sorry! I didn’t intend for this to happen! Let me help you clean up,” Jongdae started wiping Sehun’s still-shocked face with the tissue that he was holding. “It’s not coming off. Come on, Let’s go to the restroom to clean you up,” Jongdae said while dragging Sehun to the restroom. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were still laughing at how ridiculous the situation is.

\------------------

Sehun was leaning on the sink while Jongdae was doing all the work cleaning up Sehun’s face. Sehun was so enamoured by Jongdae’s face that he couldn’t speak up. He was too embarrassed to talk to the pretty man in front of him.

“I’m so sorry, Sehun. This is so embarrassing. I didn’t make a good first impression, haven’t I?” the pretty man asked. Sehun just realized that the pretty man called him by his name. How did he know who Sehun is?

“Wait, you know me?” Sehun was once again in shock with what’s happening.

“Oh, yeah. Kinda? I’m Jongdae, Baekhyun’s roommate. You’re Sehun, right? I mean I just assumed that you’re Sehun since you were with Chanyeol when you arrived a while ago. Baek mentioned that Yeol will be bringing his new roommate, Sehun. Oh my, are you not Sehun? This will be twice as embarrassing if you’re not actually Sehun,” Jongdae rambles.

Sehun, on the other, found him more endearing as he rambled on. How could this angel in front of him be any cuter?

“Hey, are you okay? You’re kind of spacing out. You’re not Sehun, are you? Oh my god! This is so embarrassing! I’m so sorry for giving you a pizza slap, mister stranger. I really didn’t mean --”

“Yes, I’m Sehun,” Sehun cuts off Jongdae’s rambling.

“Huh? You are? Oh my god, that’s a relief! I mean not a relief given the pizza mess but…” Jongdae sighs, “I’m really sorry, Sehun.”

“That’s fine. You meant no harm,” Sehun smiles.

Jongdae stood still and stared. Goodness, that smile. That was a very beautiful smile. Jongdae couldn’t help but blush.

Sehun smiled bigger seeing Jongdae’s blush.

“Let’s finish cleaning you up so we can actually eat the pizza, yes?” Jongdae smiled back.

And that smile… that gave Sehun the answer if this was love at first sight.

\-------------------

“I can’t believe you slapped Sehun with a pizza on your first meeting,” Baekhyun said while still laughing so much.

“I already said sorry! He said it’s okay! Right, Sehun?” Jongdae turned to look at Sehun with a sweet smile on his face.

“Yeah.” Sehun is really a goner now.

“See? We’re good! This will now just be an interesting story to tell if we get asked how we met.” Jongdae stuck his tongue out at Baekhyun.

Jongdae once again dragged Sehun by the wrist to make him sit next to him in the booth. Jongdae even shooed Chanyeol so that he would sit on the other side with Baekhyun. Jongdae would make sure that Sehun would be comfortable with him by the end of this hangout session with all thoughts of the pizza slap gone in his head. 

“Come, Sehun. Sit next to me. Have you eaten here before already? Hyung will make sure that you get to fully experience the Arcade City awesomeness,” Jongdae said.

“Thank you, hyung,” Sehun replied.

“Wow, Baek wasn’t kidding when he said that you don’t talk much, huh? Don’t worry, we’ll be BFFs after today. Forget Chanyeol and Baekhyun! They’re losers, anyway. I will be your cool hyung,” Jongdae says while still not letting go of Sehun’s wrists.

Sehun didn’t answer and just nodded. He’s trying his best to not blush in front of Jongdae.

“Here you go, we ordered a BLT and a vanilla milkshake for you. Eat up.”

“Uhmm, hyung…” Sehun was slightly blushing now “I’m sorry. But I don’t eat BLT. I don’t like tomatoes and lettuce. I also don’t like vanilla.” At this point, Sehun was almost just whispering now.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to you guys. Sehun is also quite a picky eater. He’s from a rich-ass family so he gets to eat the finest of things and gets to eat whatever he craves,” Chanyeol said nonchalantly while he bites on his own burger. 

“Hyung, stop saying that to people. You make me sound like a spoiled brat,” Sehun whined while having his head down. He doesn’t want to seem like a brat to Jongdae and Baekhyun. He is trying his best to be their friend! It’s just that he doesn’t like the taste of some of the food on their table. 

“Oh, don’t worry, Sehunnie. Everyone has their own food preference. Here, let’s scrape off the lettuce and tomatoes. I’ll have them,” Baekhyun said nonchalantly. 

Sehun felt really touched. They didn’t mind that he was picky with his food.

“What else do you not eat, Sehunnie? For future reference, you know,” Jongdae asked while getting a handful of fries.

“Umm…” Sehun couldn’t answer immediately. Honestly, there were a lot of food that he didn’t eat but since there were a lot, he found it difficult to list them one by one. “There’s quite a lot, hyung,” Sehun finally answered.

Jongdae stared at Sehun, contemplating. 

“Somehow, I feel challenged.” Baekhyun was also staring at him now which made Sehun feel shy. 

“Ooohhh, me too. I want to know all of Sehun’s food preference!” Jongdae said.

“Does this mean that we’ll be eating a lot this semester? I mean I have nothing against food but… you know… that sounds expensive?” Chanyeol said while biting on his burger. 

“I’ll cook for Sehun!” Jongdae suddenly announced.

“What? You can’t even cook boiled eggs, dude. Sehun will end up with food poisoning if you cook for him,” Baekhyun said.

“I feel more challenged now. All three of you wait and see. I will find out what Sehun likes. Also, Sehun will like my cooking! Won’t you, Sehunnie?” 

Sehun did not know what to say. What are the three of them suddenly saying. Jongdae was still looking at him expectantly. 

“Okay, hyung,” Sehun whispered.

Jongdae smiled at him excitedly. “This is going to be fun!” 

Sehun hopes so. Somehow, he is feeling kind of scared right now.

\------------------------

  
  
  


**JONGDAE’S MENU # 1**

It was a fine Saturday morning after all their midterm exams finished. Jongdae woke up at around 10 in the morning since he was still celebrating his freedom from exams. He got up from his bed and went to the living room. Baek was already seated in the couch watching a K-drama and talking to Chanyeol on the phone. He laid down, putting his head on Baekhyun’s thigh. What a perfect place for a nap!

He was almost asleep when he heard Baekyun saying goodbye to Chanyeol on the phone. 

“Dae, Yeol, Sehun, and Jongin will be coming here this afternoon to hang out. Kind of a celebration for finishing midterms. Let’s just have food delivered?” It has been a couple of months since they all met Sehun. Jongin also befriended Sehun during that day at Arcade City and the two have been tight since then, sharing their love for dance. 

“Hmmm,” Jongdae just hummed in answer. He was almost asleep again when he remembered something.

He sat up suddenly. “This is Sehunnie’s first time in our house! I promised him that I would cook for him.” He stood up from the couch and went to the kitchen to check what’s in their pantry. “What time are they arriving?”

“What? You’re still on that? It has been a couple of months, Dae. I don’t think Sehun remembers your promise to him.”

“Doesn’t matter! I want to cook for him,” Jongdae answered, now checking on what’s in their fridge.

“Oooohhh. Is this because of the promise or are you trying to impress him?” Baekhyun smirked at Jongdae.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jongdae whispered. He turned his back on Baekhyun, trying to hide the blush on his face.

Since that first hang-out session at Arcade City, the lot of them had spent more time together. Jongdae had become more enamored with Sehun the more time they spent. He found the shy boy really cute. Baekhyun and Chanyeol noticed how Jongdae took care of Sehun more than any of them; even Jongin had noticed. None of them voiced it out when Sehun was around, though, because the boy will surely get flustered and will be more quiet than he normally is.

Sehun, on the other hand, preened at Jongdae’s attention. He loved that the tiny, cute hyung always paid attention to him and gave him extra care. He wanted to ask his Jongdae hyung out so badly but he couldn’t seem to overcome his shyness. 

“Yeah, whatever, Dae. Whatever you say.” Baekhyun giggled.

“Hey, Baek? Sehun eats bacon, right? And he drinks beer?” Jongdae said, still looking at their fridge.

“Well, yeah. Why, what do you plan on making?” Baekhyun is not curious about what Jongdae is planning. Jongdae rarely cooks. To put it bluntly, Jongdae is so bad in the kitchen. There was one time he almost burnt the kitchen from boiling water. I mean, how can he almost burn their apartment from putting the kettle on the stove? 

“We don’t have much in the fridge. But do you remember on 2 Broke Girls, Max made a Chocolate-Beer-Bacon cupcake. I think we have enough ingredients for that,” Jongdae says as he pulls out ingredients out of the fridge and the cupboard. 

“You’re going to bake?! Are you out of your mind? You can’t even cook, why are you attempting baking!” Baekhyun feels like panicking. Baking is definitely more difficult than cooking so why is Jongdae thinking of baking? Is this man crazy?!

“Baek, I’m sure baking is easier! I mean they give you the exact measurement, the exact time in the oven, it’s practically like following a math formula. You know I got an A in math, right? I’m sure I can get this right.” 

“Dae, I don’t think that’s how it works,” Baekhyun said slowly, trying to stop Jongdae’s frantic preparation. Baekhyun has a bad feeling about this.

Jongdae ignored Baekhyun and started Googling the instructions on how to do the cupcakes. “I can’t believe we have all these ingredients here. Why do we have baking ingredients here?” 

“Oh, I tried baking once, remember? Didn’t pan out well. Which means that if I can’t do it, then the more that you can’t!” Baekhyun said as he tried to pull Jongdae out of the kitchen. “I’m sure there’s a pastry shop in the city that sells that specific kind of cupcake!” 

Jongdae resisted Baekhyun’s pull. “No! I’m doing this! Sehun will like my cooking! Let go of me, Baek!” 

“Fine! Do what you want! I’m warning you, though. With how bad you are in the kitchen, Sehun might end up being repulsed instead of being impressed with you.” Baek stuck his tongue out at Jongdae and left the kitchen.

Jongdae is not a competitive person but Baekhyun saying that Sehun might get repulsed by his baking just made him feel that he must do his best in his first attempt at baking.

\------------------

After around 5 hours of playing around in the kitchen, Jongdae was able to make 12 pieces of the Chocolate-Beer-Bacon cupcakes. “Baek, it’s done!! I was able to make cupcakes!!” Jongdae was screaming in their apartment. He considers this a win - his first foray in baking and he was successful!

“What the fuck happened here?” Baekhyun couldn’t help but scream at Jongdae when he entered the kitchen. It looked like a battlefield there. There was flour all over the kitchen counter, the sink smelled like beer, and the floor was sticky with maple syrup. 

Jongdae didn’t seem to notice Baekhyun’s distress. He was so excited since the cupcakes were not burnt. He wanted his best friend to taste the cupcakes so bad and tell him that he did a good job - that Sehun would love his creation. 

“Dude, what did you do! It’s so messy in here! Yeol and the guys are on their way already, we have to clean up!”

Jongdae pouted. “Baek! Congratulate me! I was able to bake cupcakes.” Jongdae hugged and whined at Baek.

Baekhyun sighed. Jongdae deserves congratulations, really, but the state of their kitchen!! If only Minseok hyung can see this now, Jongdae will never hear the end of it.

“Congratulations, buddy! But can we clean up first before I taste your creation? Seriously, man, the kitchen is a mess. I know our place is not the cleanest apartment but this is just insane, man.”

“Okay, fine. But I swear, Baek, this is my masterpiece! I haven’t tasted it yet but it’s chocolate, beer, and bacon! Nothing could go wrong! All the goodies in one!” Jongdae’s excitement hasn’t dampened even one bit.

After 15 minutes of cleaning up, they heard a knock signalling the arrival of the three others. Baekhyun ran to the door to open it.

“Wah, what’s that smell? It smells like a bake shop here!” Chanyeol said while walking towards the kitchen. Sehun and Jongin followed him.

“You guys baked?!” Jongin stopped, very surprised.

“Correction: Jongdae baked. However the result will be, I had no part in it.” Baekhyun is already preparing them, just in case Jongdae’s cupcakes were bad. 

“Hey, I smell pastries from the hallway!” Minseok and Kyungsoo, Jongdae’s and Baekhyun’s neighbors and friends, entered their apartment.

“You guys baked? Your kitchen is still intact?” 

“Oh, Kyungsoo. Ye of little faith. I baked these! Come one, everyone! Taste them!” Jongdae gave them one cupcake each. “These are chocolate-beer-bacon cupcakes. I saw it on 2 Broke Girls. Don’t they look delicious?” Jongdae beamed at them.

Minseok was kind of grimacing. Bacon and what looked like maple syrup on top of what smells like cream cheese icing? He’s not sure if he is excited to taste it. It looked good, though? He doesn’t want to trample down Jongdae’s spirit. He looked around and it seems that most of them have the same thought in their minds. Everyone was hesitant to taste the cupcakes. 

Except Chanyeol.

“Wah! All the goodies in one cupcake! Good job, dude! What’s the occasion, though?” Chanyeol asked before taking a huge bite of the cupcake.

“Nothing special. But I wanted to bake for Sehunnie.” Jongdae faced Sehun and smiled widely. “I promised you that I will be cooking for you, right?”

“You did this for me, hyung?” Sehun asked in disbelief. If you ask the other people in the room, they will tell you that Sehun and Jongdae were staring at each other with hearts in their eyes.

Their moment was broken with Chanyeol’s shout of, “Wah!!!” 

“You tasted it, Yeol? How is it?” Baekhyun asked, hesitantly. He even tapped Chanyeol’s back in consolation. 

Chanyeol looked at Jongdae and stared at him with wide eyes. He looks like he just got the biggest slap of his life.

“What the fuck, Dae!” Minseok also shouted. “This is amazing! I can’t believe you did this!” Minseok took another bite of the cupcake.

All the other guys in the room heard Minseok and became curious so they all took a bite of the cupcake. They were all surprised with how good it tasted! Even more surprising was that Jongdae was the one who made it!

“Dae, this is really good! I mean this is really, really tasty!” Kyungsoo gave Jongdae a heart-shaped smile.

Jongdae is elated that his friends seem to like his baking. “Come on, Sehunnie! Take a bite!”

Sehun took a hesitant bite of the cupcake. And he was shocked! It honestly tasted so good! Just like what Chanyeol said, it has all the good stuff in there. The chocolate, beer, bacon, maple syrup, and cream cheese surprisingly blend well together. Sehun feels like he could eat more than one. “Hyung, this is really, really good! Like, the best cupcake I’ve ever had in my entire life!” Sehun’s voice was quite loud with how happy he was that his favorite hyung made this for him. 

“Yes! This is a success! Sehunnie likes my cooking!” Jongdae made a little happy dance.

Sehun smiled. He really, really likes his Jondae hyung. 

\------------------

  
  


**JONGDAE’S MENU #2**

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were sitting on the couch, munching on popcorn. Instead of watching anything on TV, they were actually watching Jongdae flounder around the kitchen. They seem to be taking delight in their friend’s panic cooking session in the kitchen. It’s very entertaining.

“My god, why did I even volunteer for this. I should’ve just taken him out to a nice budget-friendly restaurant.” Jongdae was talking to himself. 

“Dude, Sehun asked you out on a date. But you were so adamant on cooking for him for your first date. What a disaster,” Baekhyun said, obviously teasing Jongdae.

“Yeah, Dae. I can already imagine how this first date will go. Sehun’s heart eyes for you might actually deflate tonight.” Chanyeol was also sporting a teasing smile.

“Both of you are not helping! Are you even my friends!” Jongdae wanted to cry. What if this first date will be the last because of his cooking.

Both Chanyeol and Baekhyun laughed boisterously. 

“Guys, seriously. Please, help me.” Jongdae was now teary-eyed and pouting at his best friends.

“Dae, calm down. Why are you panicking? I doubt that Sehun will stop liking you just because of your bad cooking,” Baekhyun said then looked at Chanyeol. “Remember last week when Jongdae slipped on a banana peel and landed on his butt? I mean I’ve only seen that in cartoons. Before that, I didn’t really believe that people could slip on banana peels. Anyway, Sehun told me ‘Dae hyung is really so cute’. Imagine that? He found that cute?” 

“You guys. Why are you making it more difficult!” Jongdae closed his eyes. He felt his face heating up from the memory of slipping in front of Sehun last week. He wanted to be suave in front of Sehun, a cool hyung, but it seems like the universe is insistent on making him suffer.

“Come on, Dae. We support you and Sehun together. With all our hearts. But we’re broke college students, we live off ramens and cafeteria food. How can you actually expect us to help you with this. We’ll just gladly watch you from the sidelines,” Chanyeol said to Jongdae grinning wide.

Jongdae hiccuped, swallowing his impending tears and panic. He must do this! Sehun liked his first cooking so he will make sure that Sehun will love this too! (And love him too.)

\----

Jongdae finished cooking at around 5:45PM and Sehun would arrive at around 6PM. Jongdae was panic-cleaning the kitchen (he was actually just shoving things in hidden places and wiping the counter, he would thoroughly clean it after the date. Or tomorrow morning, whatever!).

Baekhyun entered the kitchen as he was untying his apron.

“What the fuck is that?” Baekhyun’s face was full of disgust. “Is that our leftovers from last month that grew fungus?! What the fuck, Dae? Are you trying to kill Sehun from food poisoning? Throw that out, Dae!”

“What? No! That’s what I cooked today! That’s mushroom pasta!” 

“Why are the mushrooms standing up like that? It looks like it just grew! Dae, what the hell!” Baekhyun really looks scandalized. 

Jongdae felt his knees weaken. “Does it really look bad?” Jongdae was pouting at Baekhyun now. “Will Sehun be repulsed?” Tears are forming in Jongdae’s eyes now.

“Oh no, no, no, don’t cry, bub!” Baekhyun hugged Jongdae. “It’s okay, Dae! I’m sorry! I’m sure it will taste great! I mean, it’s pasta, cheese, and mushroom. That’s combining the goodies in one dish! I’m sure it will be okay. Come on, stop crying. Let’s get you ready, okay? Sehun will be here in 10 minutes or so.” Baekhyun felt guilty from tramping down on Jongdae’s parade. 

“Baek, maybe I should just bring Sehun out?”

“Nonsense! Sehun adores you. You can never do no wrong in his eyes! I’m sure he will love what you cooked for him! Because you made an effort! I’m sorry for bad mouthing it, truly. Your first date will be great, I swear!” Baekhyun was still hugging Jongdae. “Come on! Move your perky butt. Change your clothes, I’ll continue cleaning up here.”

\------------------

At exactly 6PM, they heard a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it!” Baekhyun shouted while walking to the door. “Hi, Sehun! Jongdae is just changing his clothes, come in!”

“Hi, hyung. Don’t take this the wrong way but why are you here?” 

“Oooohh, naughty boy! Are you planning to have Jongdae all to yourself, tonight?” Baekhyun wiggled his eyebrows.

“Hyung, get your head out of the gutter,” Sehun said. He felt his face heat up because of what Baekhyun insinuated.

“I’m just kidding, Hunnie. Don’t worry, Yeol and I will just be in my bedroom. We won’t interrupt your date. Promise!”

“Hyung, this is my first date with Jongdae hyung. Don’t mess with us, please? I just want to have a good night with him,” Sehun said shyly.

“You’re so cute, Hunnie! You and Dae will be so cute together! I promise we won’t bother you!” Baekhyun was fighting the urge to pinch Sehun’s cheeks.

“I’m here! I’m ready!” Jongdae ran out of his room and halted in front of Sehun. “Hi, Sehun.”

“Hi, hyung.” Sehun was smiling widely now. His crescent eyes couldn’t hide how happy and excited he was about their date. 

“Are you hungry yet? I cooked for you tonight! Come.” Jongdae held on to Sehun’s wrist and dragged him to the kitchen. “Sit down. I’ll prepare the table for you.”

Sehun was looking forward to what Jongdae prepared for him. He was also slightly nervous - what if he ends up not liking what Jongdae cooked? He doesn’t want to offend the older.

Jongdae returned holding 2 what-looks-like soup bowls. But more than his confusion on what kind of bowl Jongdae was holding, Sehun was even more confused on what’s inside the bowls. Are those mushrooms growing on the bowls?! Sehun tried his best to school his expression into something neutral. (Baekhyun and Chanyeol were in the former’s room, wishing to all the gods for Jongdae’s cooking to be delicious to make up for it looking disastrous.)

Jongdae put down whatever he was holding and went back to the kitchen to get another dish. When he returned, it took a lot of effort for Sehun not to grimace because Jongdae actually cooked Brussels sprouts, a.k.a. the demon of all vegetables. 

“Go on, eat up! I prepared all of these for you. I hope you like them.” Jongdae smiled so sweetly at Sehun and, by god, Sehun will muster courage to eat all of these, however unappetizing they are, just to keep that smile on Jongdae’s face. (Sehun finished the mushroom pasta because it actually is quite okay. But ack! Sehun might be close to falling in love with Jongdae but Brussels sprouts are still the devil in physical form.)

\----------------

  
  


**JONGDAE’S MENU # 3**

It was 7:30 in the morning but Jongdae was already awake. He was in a good mood - he was even humming while making his way in the kitchen. He opened the fridge and the cupboard thinking of what to make. It has to be something special. This day is special. “Why?” you might ask. After around 4 months of dating, Sehun slept over for the first time last night. Jongdae remembered their night together and the sleepy cuddles, he couldn’t help smiling to himself. It was a very memorable occasion for the couple. 

They were taking things slow - despite Sehun being considered a “campus crush” even during high school, he was still a very shy boy thus, he wasn’t that experienced in the love department. Jongdae was very patient with him. Baekhyun even calls them a “disgusting couple” on a daily basis because of how sweet they were being.

Jongdae started pulling out things from the fridge and the cupboard - oatmeal, eggs, and chocolate chips.

He was mixing the oatmeal and the raw eggs in a bowl when he felt someone hug him from behind.

“Why did you leave the bed, hyung?” Sehun asked while snuggling on his neck and giving it tiny kisses.

Jongdae turned around to look at Sehun properly. “Did you sleep well, Sehunnie?”

Sehun tightened his hug and snuggled Jongdae’s neck again. He just grunted instead of giving Jongdae a proper answer.

Jongdae returned the hug for just a quick second and loosened his hold on Sehun. “Go sit at the table, I’m preparing breakfast.”

Sehun kissed Jongdae’s neck one last time and followed Jongdae’s instruction. But he was still so sleepy so he rested his head on the table first.

Sehun was almost asleep when he heard Baekhyun come out of his room. “My god, you two were so loud last night,” he grumbled.

Nothing could deter Jongdae’s happiness. “Good morning, Baek! Sit down. There’s enough breakfast for you.”

Baekhyun halted his steps and became dubious. What the hell is Jongdae cooking now? 

“What the hell are you cooking now?”

“Don’t be so grumpy! I saw this recipe online of oatmeal with eggs. Easy to make!” 

“Like oatmeal and scrambled eggs on the side?” Baekhyun was still suspicious.

“Nope. The recipe says mix the raw eggs with oatmeal and just put it in the microwave. Easy, right?”

Sehun immediately sat up when he heard it. “What?” 

“Oatmeal with eggs, Hunnie.” 

“Raw eggs mixed with oatmeal?” Sehun’s eyes widened.

“It will cook in the microwave! Don’t worry!” 

“Dae, can’t we just scramble the eggs?” Baekhyun was also feeling a little scared now.

“No can do! The bowl is already in the microwave,” Jongdae said smiling at the two of them. He noticed the scared look on both their faces. “Why are you both looking at me like that? I saw it on the internet! It seems that a lot of people were raving about it!” 

“Ummm… okay, hyung,” Sehun still sounded hesitant but his hyung making an effort for him was still so charming so he will ignore his disgust and eat whatever his hyung will serve to him.

“Not for me. I’m just going to go back to bed and sleep through breakfast.. Hopefully there will be something more edible for lunch.” Baekhyun walked back to his room.

Jongdae ignored him and served Sehun the breakfast. “Try it, Hunnie!” Jongdae smiled at him.

(Damn that smile! The food was as horrible as he imagined. It’s like the eggs were not cooked at all. But Sehun still ate it like a champ because his Jongdae hyung was smiling at him. Damn it!)

\-------------------

**JONGDAE’S MENU # 4**

  
  


“Your asshole must taste disgusting!” Baekhyun said while sticking his tongue out at Jongdae.

“YOU. BITCH. HOW. FUCKING. DARE. YOU.”

“Sehun’s taste buds must be so damaged for him to like your cooking AND your asshole.”

“Take that back, Byun Bakehyun!” Jongdae stood up from where he was sitting and jumped on Baekhyun who was sitting on the living room couch. 

“Aaah! Dae! Get your bony arms away from me!” 

Sehun and Chanyeol just looked at their boyfriends who were wrestling on the couch. There was a slight concern when the two almost fell on the floor but they know better than to meddle between the two friends when they are play-fighting. Yes, play-fighting. Like puppies.

“Dude, maybe you should stop eating that for a bit. That would put you to an early grave,” Chanyeol said to Sehun, concern evident on his face.

“But hyung, it’s actually so good!” Sehun ignored Chanyeol’s warning and continued eating.

“I know. It’s actually not bad. But dude, kare-kare sauce is already so oily. I can’t believe you’re eating it with deep-fried chicken!” 

Jongdae and Sehun have been dating for 2 years and have been living together for a month. Jongdae, Chanyeol and Baekhyun graduated a couple of months back and Sehun felt lonely staying in the dorms alone because Jongin, that bastard of a best friend, applied for a solo room instead of rooming with him claiming that it is his final year so he should have some freedom. Their friends said that it must be a blessing in disguise since it just pushed the couple to live together. 

They just recently finished unpacking and decorating their apartment so they decided to invite Baekhyun and Chanyeol for lunch. 

After the “oatmeal with egg fiasco”, as Baekhyun likes to call it, Jongdae became more subtle with his cooking efforts. Sehun actually ended up having a stomach ache because of that. It might or might not be because the egg was not entirely cooked when Jongdae served it. He stopped cooking wild recipes that he sees on the internet and decided to cook simpler ones.

Until this.

“Seriously, Hun. I know it doesn’t taste bad but it’s so oily that I feel like vomiting after 3 pieces of wings. You’re on your, what? 8th piece now? Has your taste palette actually adjusted to Jongdae’s cooking?” Chanyeol asked in a tone mixed with disbelief and concern.

“Honestly, hyung? No. Jongdae hyung’s cooking is still bad most of the time. It’s still a hit-or-miss with his cooking, even with 2 years of practice.”

“Then why do you keep on eating it? What’s the secret?”

“There is no secret. The first one, the cupcakes, those were really good. So at the beginning, I was actually excited about his cooking. The second one was passable. I mean the mushroom pasta was disgusting to look at but it actually tasted nice. Except that Brussels sprouts. Ugh, that devil.”

Chanyeol nods. He agrees that nothing could be done to make Brussels sprouts delicious.

“The oatmeal and egg combo was bad. But that’s only because he should have let it cook more in the microwave!” 

“And all the other dishes he made?” 

“They’re alright. Sometimes. But the taste of the food is not the important thing here.”

“Then what?” 

“I eat all his cooking because he makes them for me. He makes all these efforts for me. He’s trying his best to create something that I would like. He accommodated my immature taste preference. But the best thing about it is his smile whenever he sees me eating whatever he made. That is why I keep on eating them. I appreciate all his food. I appreciate Jongdae hyung.” Sehun was smiling with a soft, loving look on his face.

“That was so cheesy! I think all the oil has already gone up to your brain,” Chanyeol said even though he was fighting the urge to smile, too.

Jongdae and Sehun were truly made to be together.

Chanyeol was still staring at Sehun, thinking of how to make him stop eating the very, very oily food.

Jongdae and Baekhyun were still play-fighting in the living room.

Sehun just continued eating his food. This is his second-most favorite dish that Jongdae made after the cupcakes. Ahh, he misses those cupcakes. Maybe he should ask Jongdae to make them tomorrow. 

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Of all the recipes that were mentioned here, I have only tasted the cupcakes. They're actually really, really, good!!
> 
> I have high hopes on the kare-kare chicken wings so I will try that soon. 
> 
> If you try the oatmeal + eggs combo, make sure that the eggs are cooked well!


End file.
